Bridge-signal for railroads.



G. J. FREDERICK & E. D.- HAYES.

BRIDGE SIGNAL FOR RAILROADS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27. 1915.

Patnted Apr. 11,1916.

1 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

lIll Illlllll 5 .15 4 fi J l o I! v I I I Hm o 3 I 1 16 1 16 I6 12 a" a: 34 a5 36 35 39 39 136 I 33 3 3 I Sol/WWW! 6. cl Frederick, v

wi lmmo fM 315M166,

W4 WXW G. J..FREDER|CK'& E'.'D. HAYES.

BRIDGE SIGNAL FOR RAILROADS'.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27, 1915 Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

6. J J' rWZerz'Mc', Z. B. Hayes,

myazm THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0.. WASHINGTON, D. C.

. UNITED smwm GEORGE J. FREDERICK AND EDWARD 1). saves, on FAYE-TTEVILLE, ARKANSAS,

nssieivons or ONE-THIRD T oso'AR ROGERS. or rAYETrEvI L-E, ARKANSAS.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that we, GEORGE J. FREDERICK .and EDWARD D. HAYEs; citizens ofthe UnitedStates of America,residing at Fayetteville, in the county of-Washington and State of Arkansas, have invented new and usefullmprovements in Bridge-Signals forRailroads, of which the following is'a specification. .1

Thls invention relates to lmprovementsfin bridge signals for railroads and has particularf application to an automatic signal;

whereby'the engineers of trains approach"- ing thebridge will be warned in the. event of a defect in thebridge incident to a washout or other cause. a

In carrying out the present invention,.it is our purpose to provide a railway bridge signalwhich will be automatically operated to indicate dangerin the event of the bridge being washed away or, anyof the supports. thereof being displaced, so-that the engineers of trains approaching the bridge will be notified of the condition thereof.

It is'also our purpose to improve and simplify the general construction of railway bridge signals andrto provide a signal which may be installed and maintained at a minimum expense and which will operate efficiently and effectively for its intended pur- With the above and other objects in view.

the invention conslsts inthe construction,

combination and arrangement of parts here-J 'inafter set forth ina-nd fallingwithin the scope of the claim.

'In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1;

is a view in side elevation of a bridge equipped with a signal constructed in ac- Jcordance with the present invention. Fig.2

in its construction the usual vertical sup-i ports 2 and longitudinal stringers 3 on the upper ends of the vertical supports carrying the rai ad t ack a-y imID G sIGNAL Eon anrtn onns.

' Specification of Letters Patient.

" I Applicationfiled March 27.1915. "iserialfimli'fim.- H

Arranged at-each end of the bridge struc-n ture and suitablysecured to the latter 'is verticalcasing 5 having the top wall thereof formed with/an opening 3 6 and a bottom mounted in the opening 6:and'having the.

[tente Apr. 11, 1916. I

.wall equipped with' a bearing 7 aliningver,l

lower endthereof journaled-inthe bearing 7 is a shaft 8 and secur'ed toithe upper end of the. shaft 8 and"projecting"upwardly therefrom -is a signal post 9.; Suitably con-' nected to the signal post 9 adjacent to the upper extremity thereof and projecting in. diametricallyopposite' directions are signal blades 10 indicative of danger,: While. se-

cured to the post at diametrically opposite points and disposed in plane at right.

"angles to the'plane of thedanger blades 10:

are signal-blades11 in'dicatingsafety, On the upper end of the postis fastened a signal lamp 12-having bull7s eyes colored red to correspond-to the danger blades and vbulls eyes" colored green to correspond to the safety blades. Securedto the opposite side walls of the casing -5 and extending across the latter is a cross piece 13 formed with an opening through which the shaft 8 is passed and with a slot 30. --Pivoted between its ends withinthe slot 30is a vertical lever 81 and connectedwith'the upper end of theclever 311 f is one. endiof a 'retractilesprin'g 32, the remaining end of the spring being fastened to isc'apablej of movement within such guide.

the adjacent-side wall of the casing. The

Fastenedto the shaft8 below the cross, piece 13 and projecting outwardly .therefrom is a lug 34 having the outer end forked or bifurof the leverf31. Encircling the shaft 8 is a spring 36 "having one end fastened to the shaft andithe remaining end secured to an cated as at 35to receive the adjacent portion if adjacentwallofthe casingand this spring;

to dispose the danger bladeslO at right angles to; the trackway andthe safety indiacts to rotate theshaft S'a'nd signal post 9 t ng. adesll xpara b w h h tr ck y- Normally, the retractile spring 32 holds the lever 31 inengagement-with the forked end:

ofthelug 35 and so prevents rotation of the shaft 8 under. the action of the spring 36, thereby maintaining the safety blades in a position at right angles to the trackway so as to be visible to an engineer of an, approaching train and the danger blades parallel with the trackway.

Extending longitudinally of the bridge structure and preferably disposed below the trackway l is a tube 15 formed of axially alining sections 16. The meeting ends of the sections 16 are preferably disposed immediately above the vertical supports 2 and interposed between the meeting ends of the sections 16 are boxes 17 having the opposite walls thereof formed with openings through which the ends of the particular sections 16 pass. Rotatablymounted upon'horizontal axles carried by the side walls of each box 17 and disposed within the latter are guide sheaves 18 appropriately spaced apart and disposed inparallelism and having the grooved peripheries thereof alinin'g with the ends of the sections l6.respectively of the tube. Connected with the side walls of the respective casings 5 and projecting outwardly therefrom toward the center of the trackway are tubes 37 and the outer ends of the tubes 37 extend into boxes 38 and also extending into the boxes 38 are the adja cent ends of the tubes 15 respectively and the tubes 37 are disposed at right angles to the tubes 15, owing to the positions of the casings 5. Connected with the lower ends of the levers 31 in the respective casings 5 are the opposite ends of a cable 22 or other flexible element that extends through the tubes 37 and the sections of the tube l5 and the boxes 17 above the guide sheaves 18, the portions of the cable 22 within the boxes 38 being trained over guide sheaves 39 to facilitate the movement of the cable. Secured to one face of each vertical sup port 2 a suitable distance below the adjacent box 17 is a vertical casing 23 and closing the upper end of the vertical casing 23 is a cover 24: formed centrally with an opening and uprising from the cover 24: is a sleeve 25 alining axially with the opening in the cover and having the upper end thereof passed through the bottom wall of the adjacent box '17 and disposed between the guide sheaves 18. Connected with the cable 22 and extending downwardly therefrom between the guide sheaves 18 of the respective pairs of such sheaves are branch cables 26 and these branch cables pass through the respective sleeves 25 into the vertical casings 23 and connected with the lower end of each branch cable 26 is a weight 27 disposed within the casing 23.

In practice, should any one of the supports 2 be displaced, or the track structure moved relatively to the supports, the particular weight 27 will be relieved of the influence of the casing 23 and exert a downward pull upon the branch, cable 26 and the main cable 22. VVhena pull is exerted upon the main cable 22, the levers 31 are swung about their pivotal connections with the respective cross pieces 13 and disengage the forked ends of the lugs 34, thereby releasing the shafts 8 so that the latter may be rotated under the action of the respective springs 36. As theshafts are rotated under the action of the springs, the safety blades are moved to a position parallel to the trackway, while the danger blades'are disposed at right angles to the trackway so that the engineer of a train approaching the bridge will be advised as to the condition of the bridge. W hen the signal post is rotated to move the danger blades to active position and the safety blades to inactive position, the lamp on the upper end of such post is similarly actuated and the bulls eyes indicative of danger are visible tothe engineer, while the bulls eyes indicating clear are disposed in positions corresponding to the positions of the safety blade.

While we have herein shown and described the preferred form of our invention by way of illustration, we wish it to be understood that we do not limit or confine ourselves to the precise details of construc tion herein described and delineated, as modification and variation may be made within the scope of the claim without departing from the spirit of the invention.

We claim:

In bridge signal apparatus, vertical signal posts located at each end of the bridge structure, a vertical shaft connected to the lower end of each signal post, danger and safety signal blades on said posts, means acting upon said shaft to rotate said signal posts to render the danger signal blades active and the safety signal blades inactive, a lever pivoted between its ends for swinging movement, a lug carried by said shaft and normally engaged by said lever to hold.

the shaft against movement under the action of said means, and means'for'swinging said lever to release said shaft.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE J. FREDERICK. EDWARD D. HAYES.

VVitnesses J. B. I-Insrnn, JOHN DORREL.

Copies ofthis patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of 281269.115, Washington, D. G. 

